Incubator



A, KERR. INGUBATOR;

(No Model.)

No. 568,618., Patented Sept. 29, 1896.

. nvm/roa WITNESSES.

ATTORNEYS.

1' uumus PEIERS 00.. More umou wnsum UNITED STATES i PATENT men.

ARCHIBALD KERR, OF GARMICHAELS, PENNSYLVANIA.

INCUBATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,618, datedSeptember 29, 1896. Application filed October 2,1895, Serial No.564,369. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD KERR, of Oarmichaels, in the county ofGreene and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Incubators, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in the interiorconstruction ofincubators, and especially to the construction and combination of theheating and moisture tanks of incubators; and the object'of theinvention is to construct such tanks in a simple, durable, and economicmanner, and to provide for an efficient circulation both of the heat andof the moisture, and also to provide a regulating device automaticallyoperated and adapted to control the heat in the incubating-chamber.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as'will be hereinafter fully set forth,

and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the body of theincubator, taken essentially on the line 1 1 of Fig. 3, and likewisethrough theheating and moisture tanks. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectiontaken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section taken through the body portion of the incubator, themoisture and heating tanks being shown partially in plan view andpartially as broken away.

In carrying out the invention the body portion A of the incubator may beof any desired formation. Ordinarily, however, it is somewhat box-likeand is provided with a transverse partition 10 near one end, whichpartition extends from the bottom upward to within a predetermineddistance of the top of the body, thereby dividing the body into a smallend chamber B and a large incubating-chamber B. The heating-tank O islocated in the top of the body, extending over both of the chambers,being supported near one end by resting upon the partition 10 and at theopposite end by a batten 11 or its equivalent.

A fine 12 is made to extend through the body Within practically thecentral portion of the smaller or end chamber 13. This flue projectsbeyond both the top and the bottom of the body and receives at its lowerend the chimney of a lamp 13 or other heat-generator, the lamp orgenerator being supported upon a stirrup or bracket 14, secured to theunder face of the body. A valve 15 normally closes the upper end of theflue 12, and this valve is connected with one end of a lever 17,fulcrumed upon a suitable support at the top of the incubator, theopposite end of the lever being weighted to counterbalance the valve.

A link 18 is connected with the aforesaid lever between its fulcrum andthe valve, and this link extends downward through the incubator, andlikewise through the heatingtank, to a connection with a thermostat 19,and this thermostat is preferably made of two elliptical strips of brassand an intervening strip of iron or equivalent metal, the ends of thestrips being secured together and the lower elliptical strip attached tothe bottom of the incubator. This thermostat is located within theincubating-chamber, and when the heat becomes excessive in said chamberthe expansion of the elliptical portions of the thermostat will causethe lever to be raised and the valve to uncover the flue 12, permittingthe hot air to escape at the top of the incubator. V

a A hot-air-conducting pipe 20 is attached to the flue 12 and extendslongitudinally along the central portion of the heating-tank C to withina point near its opposite end,where a transverse or cross pipe 21 isattached to the longitudinal pipe 20, and the said cross-pipe ispreferably apertured, and at the heat-receiving end of the heating-tankofttake pipes or funnels 22 are located, one preferably near each side,and these extend upward through the top of the incubator, being providedat their upper ends with suitable caps held a predetermined distancefrom the exit ends of the said outlets. Thus it will be observed thatwhen the valve 15 is closed over the flue 12 the heat is conductedpractically throughout the length of the heating-tank and escapes intothe tank at the end farthest removed from the heat-inlet, and the hotair will then pass rearward or in direction of the inlet of the tank andfind an exit through the outletpipes 22, thus providing for a thoroughcirculation of the heat.

At one side of the flue 12, within the end chamber B, a moisture-tank Dis located, be in g either attached to the bottom of the heatingtank orsupports may be provided for its lower surface. The moisture-tank isadapted to contain a predetermined amount of water, and the water is fedinto the tank by means of an inlet-pipe 23, which passes from the top ofthe incubator downward into the tank, and near its upper end the inletor feed pipe 23 is provided with a valve 24, whereby, if there isexcessive moisture, by opening the valve the moisture may escape fromthe incubator.

An outlet-pipe 25 is connected with the bottom of the moisture-tank andextends through the bottom of the incubator, having a valve at its lowerouter end, and air-supply pipes 20 are carried upward through the bottomof the incubator into the moisture-tank and above the water-level, eachof the said airsupply pipes being preferably provided at the upper endwith a conical cap, tending to c011- vey the air downward upon thesurface of the water, and the moisture is circulated in theincubating-chamber by attaching to the moisture-tank near its upper edgea horizontal T- shaped tube 27, the head 28 whereof is per forated, asshown in Fig. 3, and the moist air will escape through an outlet 29,located in.

the upper portion of the aforesaid incubatingchamber. The air-supplypipes 20 also serve as overflow-pipes to prevent the water from risingto such a height in the tank D as to pass out through the pipe 27 intothe incubating chamber 13'. Under this arrangement it is obvious thatnot only is a perfect circulation of heat obtained, but the said heat iselliciently applied, as is likewise the moisture, and the entire deviceis economic, durable, and simple.

The water in the 1noisture-pan is heated, primarily,by the heatcontained in the smaller compartment B. Therefore the moisture-pan andits branches serve to heat the air in the incubating-chamber as well asto moisten it. Under this construction the cold draft over the eggs,incident to many incubators, is obviated, and the eggs, also the youngchiekens, are prevented from being chilled.

lIZtVillg' thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. Anineubator, comprisinga body portionprovided near one end with a vertical partition extending from thebottom to within a predetermined distance of the top, a heatingtankresting upon the partition and extending the entire length of the body,said tank serving with the partition to divide the body into heating andincubating chambers, a heating-flue extending through the heatingchamber, the heating-tank, and out through the top and bottom of thebody, a hot-air pipe connected to the heating-flue in the heatin g-tank,extending nearly to the opposite end of the said tank, and provided atits end with a cross-apertured pipe, a moisture-tank in the heatingchamber, a T-shaped pipe secured to the moisture-tank and extending intothe incubating-chamber below the heating-tank, air-supply pipes leadingthrough the bottom of the body up into the moisture-tank above thewater-level thereof and an automatic valve on the upper end of theheating-flue, substantially as described.

2. In an incubator, the combination, with the body of the incubatorprovided with a partition dividing it into two compartments of unequalsize, the larger compartment being the incubating-compartment, aheatingtank extending over both of the compartments, and a moisture-tankadapted to receive water located within the smaller com partment of theincubator, of a heating-flue extending through the incubator from top tobottom and through the heating-tank, a heating agent connected with thelower end of the said flue, a thermostatically-controlled valve adaptedto normally close the upper end of the said fine, the thermostat beinglocated within the incubating chamber, a branch from the main iluelocated within the heating-tank and extending to a point removed fromthe heat-inlet, exits for the heated air located at the inlet portion ofthe said tank, air-supply pipes extending from the outside of theincubator into the moisturetank and above its water-line, amoisturesupply pipe extending from the moisture-tank into theincubating-chamber, being provided with sundry outlets, andvalve-controlled pipes for supplying Water to or drawing water from themoisture-tank, as and for the pur pose specified.

3. In an incubator, the combination with a body having a heating-chamberat one end, of a water-tank in said chamber, a pipe leading up throughthe body into the water-tank above the water-level thereof, said pipeserving both as air and overflow pipe, a valved pipe leading from thetank. through the top of the body and serving as a means for supplyingwater to the tank and as an escape for moisture therefrom, and a pipeleading from the upper part of the water-tank into theincubating-chamber, substantially as described.

4. An incubator comprising a body provided with a vertical partitionextending to within a predetermined distance of the top, a heating-tankresting upon the partition and with it dividing the body into a heatingand incubating chamber, a heating-flue extending through theheating-chamber, the heating-tank, and the top and bottom of the body,said flue being provided with an outlet in the heating-tank, anautomatic valve for the upper end of the flue, a water-tank in theheating-chamber, a pipe leading up through from the top of theWater-tank into the upper the bottom of the body into the Water-tankpart of the incubating-chamber, substantially above the Water-levelthereof, said pipe servas herein shown and described.

ing both as an air and overflow pipe, a valved AROHIBALD KERR. 5 pipeleading from-the tank through the top Witnesses:

of the body and serving both as a Water-sup- CHAS. W. BARKMAN,

ply and moisture-outlet, and a pipe leading F. F. DAVIDSON.

